'Man of Steel' trailer: Henry Cavill soars as new Superman - video

Henry Cavill takes on the role of Superman in Zack Snyder's reboot of the comic book movie franchise. The Immortals actor is the latest star to play the Man of Steel on the big screen, following in the footsteps of the likes of Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh.

The blockbuster epic, which will be released in IMAX and 3D next year, revisits Superman's origin story, following the character from the destruction of Krypton to taking on his superhero persona in Metropolis.

The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan, who is serving as producer on Man of Steel, recently said that the movie is aiming to make Superman "relatable" and "relevant".

"Superman is the biggest comic book character of them all and he needs the biggest possible movie version which is what Zack's doing. It's really something," he said.

"I wouldn't want people to think we're doing for Superman what we did for Batman. It's very much Zack's film and I think people are going to love what he's done.

"I think it's really remarkable to take on that character. Superman is a completely different character than Batman, so you can't in any way use the same template."

Man of Steel, also starring Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon, will open in cinemas in June 14, 2013.